IGGY EXCITED FOR BOSTONObviously Jarome Iginla and the Penguins playing the Bruins in the conference final is a storyline because of that whole, you know, "Iginla to Boston: done deal" drama.

We got Iggy's thoughts on facing the Bruins after choosing Pittsburgh over them. But I also wanted to write about the months that have passed since that happened and how he has been doing both on and off the ice. I also wrote about the impact he could make in this series, and it's a big one. As coach Dan Bylsma said of Iggy, “You don’t mess around when this guy is on the ice ... He’s a fierce competitor. He sets the tone. There’s not a lot of people that aren’t put in check when Jarome is on the ice and when Jarome is playing and around those areas. I think that’s what he does for (Neal and Malkin) playing with them and specifically in those tighter areas.”

HARTZELL HONOREDPenguins goaltender Eric Hartzell led Quinnipiac University to an ECAC regular-season title and a berth in the NCAA Frozen Four. After he signed with the Penguins as a taxi-squad player and has joined the club during their Stanley Cup run.

The storybook year for Hartzell, 24, continued Wednesday when he was named the USA Hockey College Player of the Year.

"The news feels great," Hartzell said. "A lot of that reflects how awesome our program was this year and how awesome the guys were. I can't be more honored."

Harrington and Maatta join WBS after helping their junior team, the London Knights, win their second-straight Ontario Hockey League (OHL) title and a second-consecutive berth in the Memorial Cup tournament.

VOKOUN SAVORING THE MOMENTSince Vokoun entered the Penguins’ goal for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the New York Islanders, he has performed spectacularly. He did not allow more than three goals in any of his starts the first two rounds.

Most importantly, the Penguins won two straight games to finish off the Islanders with Vokoun as the starter, and they brushed away the Ottawa Senators in five games to reach the Eastern Conference Final. Advancing in the playoffs is an achievement for Vokoun, but he is not done yet.

“Our ultimate goal is winning, so any assessments about the season before it’s over, they’d be too early,” Vokoun said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

SERIES STORYLINESWho will the Bruins match Chara against? Crosby or Malkin? How will Pittsburgh's high-flying offense combat Bruins' shutdown defense? Which power play will be more deadly? Did Jarome Iginla make the right choice to come to Pittsburgh instead of Boston?

START ME UPGood morning Pens fans!! The Pens and Bruins will open their Eastern Conference Final series in two months - OK really it's this Saturday, but it feels like months away. After waiting four days for the schedule to come out, the Pens-Bruins have their dates set. Game 1 will be Saturday, June 1 at 8 p.m. at CONSOL Energy Center. That means the teams are still four days away playing.

In the meantime, the Pens will practice Wednesday at CONSOL Energy Center at 11:00 a.m. We'll have all the latest updates from practice right here as the day progresses so stay tuned...

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We'll start the day by taking a trip back to the past. The Pens and Bruins met in the Wales Conference Final in 1991. The Penguins won the series, 4-2, en route to taking home their first Stanley Cup championship. Mario Lemieux sealed it with an empty-net goal in Game 6. Here are the highlights from that epic game below.